The Breakfast Club

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20140221

Other than breakfasts, i very much thoroughly enjoy dessert cafes. Passiontree has been established in the city now for a little while and offers a variety of desserts, from frozen yoghurt, to macarons, baked pastries, coffee, fondues and waffles.

The primary reason i really wanted to go here was to try the Honey Bread. Basically a chunk of bread, cubed, toasted then drizzled with honey and cream with berries/almonds on the side. Deliciously sweet and deliciously overwhelming at the same time. It's a bit of an odd mixture of sweet and savoury... well not really since the entire dish is actually quite sweet - it's more so the fact that the toasted bread is the 'base' of the dessert. Definitely satisfying - would probably recommend coffee with this to balance out the sweetness!

Green Tea Bingsoo was the other dessert we ordered at the the same time (probably not the greatest idea considering how heavy and filling the honey bread is), but it was a spur of the moment, again, no regrets. Green tea always has a soft spot in my heart, you just can't really go wrong with it. Anyway, the bingsoo is basically a green tea shaved iced with red bean (again, delicious), green tea ice and cornflakes. Yep. Cornflakes. Sounds and looks a bit strange, but it definitely makes the dessert a whole lot tastier. It's just the addition of the extra 'crunch'! This dessert isn't as sweet as the honey bread, as green tea generally isn't sweet. So a good alternative for the non-sweet-tooths out there.

Alternatively, there is a range of baked goods as well, mostly asian bakery goods, if you haven't tried any before, passiontree is a good place to start - it's displayed in cabinet so you pick and choose then pay at the end of the counter.

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Okay everyone. Let's have a minute to drool over and admire how green and delicious the sliced avocado looks. And let's face it, we like to eat food that not only taste delicious, but looks good. (we all know that instagram needs to see it first right? :P ) It's true as they say that you eat with your eyes first ... or something along those lines haha. I actually just made that up.

What's with cafes being sneaky all of a sudden? I only accidentally came across this on instagram, and hence as i made my way to paddington, I probably walked past this a few times before resorting to google maps (sad, i know). But anyhow, this cafe is somewhat semi-tucked from the main road, the actual counter is inside next to a hair salon, and outside is like an open courtyard with tables and chairs for you to sit.

While I have only tried the one item on the menu, the Avocado, Persian fetta, pine nuts and pistachio on sourdough. What i really like about this, is the simple addition of the pistachios, it really adds that extra something to a dish as simple as just avocado on toasted sourdough. Just having tried this one dish is enough to entice me back to try the rest of the menu. Good work Rogue Rennard on the delicious presentation!

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selection of hand made chocolate, liquid salted caramel ball, chocolate covered coffee bean, handful of french candies and single origin dark chocolates, as well as a sample of hot chocolate

This place. Sneakily tucked away off Adelaide Street - if you don't know where it is, i bet that you've probably actually walked past this place already without even realising it. This place honestly is a gem. The chocolate here is on another level. Not your regular Cadbury, Lindt or Nestle chocolate you know? None of that commercialised stuff (Don't get me wrong - i'll still eat and enjoy it on days when i need a sugar hit). But honestly, you're really in for a bit of a treat here!

This place doesn't scream out 'fine chocolates' or 'fancy' - rather you will find a really quaint place instead. Offerings of several different chocolates line the wall - and a menu is found towards the back of the shop. The menu has a few different offerings, but if you're a first time visitor, it's probably a good idea to try the sampling plate. Especially if you're wanting to delve into finer chocolate. The gentleman who works there is very knowledgeable about chocolate - if you start up a conversation about chocolate, be prepared to be educated! So on the tasting plate (for one) there is an array of chocolates which ranges in sweetness. My favourite out of the plate has to be the raspberry white chocolate and the salted caramel ball and the chocolate covered coffee bean (first picture, middle tray). The liquid salted caramel ball is ridiculous - literally bursts in your mouth and is just full of chocolate-y caramel goodness. Have yet to taste any other chocolate sweet that is comparable to this! It is a must try if you do visit!

Also worth a mention is the hot chocolate, all i can say is that it is amazing, so smooth and rich at the same time - this is definitely one for the chocolate lovers out there. The chocolate at Monty's has a more refined taste - that is, you will be able to tell the difference between commercialised chocolate and what's in store here. If you're in the city, like i said, it really is a hidden gem and worth the visit! (especially for those liquid salted caramel balls and chocolate covered coffee beans!)

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As the name of this restaurant suggests - everything here is pretty much off the BBQ grill. Very American, and very delicious. Urbanspoon has a mixture of positive and negative reviews. My experience here was definitely towards the positive side.

The Platter is definitely a good choice if you're stuck between choosing and want to try a little bit of most of the meats, and also a good size if you're planning to share with someone. The platter consists of the Texas Beef Short Rib, Memphis Pork Belly & North Carolina Pulled Pork served with fries & coleslaw. This is the second time i've had the platter with someone, it's a bit of a win or lose with the ribs i find. The first time i had it, the ribs were generous in terms of actual meat on there versus fat and sauce. I mean yes, ribs obviously won't be all mean, but sometimes the ratio can be a bit ridiculous you know? Anyway this time around i found that the ribs were still delicious with the hickory sauce, but lacking a bit in the actual beef department. In terms of the sauce, that's what makes it quite the signature, the smokey flavour that it has. The pork Belly is served grilled and generously dusted with the 'Memphis' seasoning. They got the texture of the pork pretty perfect - very tender and very 'melt in your mouth' kind of texture with the fat from the pork. My favourite from this platter is probably the pulled pork - it's cooked in this vinegar based sauce; really tangy and salty at the same time. The chips were a perfect accompaniment with the pulled pork... the tender and tangy flavours with the salty crunch of chips! There's nothing 'light' when it comes to this platter.

If you're a fan of meat in general, because they don't offer too much variation, then it should be on your places to try list! It has a very casual vibe to it and is perfect for the occasions if you're feeling like a carnivore.

Ippudo; rated as one of the 'tops' on urbanspoon; hard to argue against as the ramen was delicious. The soup base adequately salty, ramen was generous enough and toppings also generous. So while i've commented that the ramen from Ippudo is delicious - and you should order it when you go there. I would like to point out that, personally in my experience there, rather than remembering the taste of the ramen, the Ippudo pork bun probably stole the show. So now onto my rant as to why i enjoyed this more than the ramen! It's basically this delicious little bun topped with mayonaise, lettuce and braised pork. The photo is pretty deceiving as to how delicious it actually tasted; the proportion of mayo, lettuce and pork is just perfect with the soft steamed bun - the braised pork is tender and saucy, combined with japanese mayo - well... it's just great. I could probably eat ten of these. They are just the perfect size to eat as an entree with just the right amount of each ingredient. The buns are super soft - very much like the buns from The Bun Mobile in Brisbane! Words and photos don't do it justice, but this is a definite recommendation if you happen to go there! Now.. if only they would bring this chain up to Brisbane....